Moon, March 6, 1865
Artist
Lewis M. Rutherfurd
(American, 1816 - 1892)
Date1865
MediumAlbumen print
DimensionsOverall: 22 3/8 × 16 5/8 inches (56.83 × 42.23 cm)
Credit LineGift of Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Object number2005.27.190
SignedIn negative: full signature, "Lewis M. Rutherfurd" and "N.Y., March 6, 1865."
On View
Not on viewCollections
Terms
Developing Greatness: the Origins of American Photography, 1839-1885. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, June 9 - December 30, 2007, 255 (repro).
Heavens: Photographs of the Sky & Cosmos. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, June 11 - November 13, 2011, no cat.
A man of considerable means, Lewis Rutherfurd left the practice of law to devote himself to science. In 1864, he commissioned a large telescope, 15 feet long with an 11-inch-diameter lens, which he used to make a pioneering series of photographs of the moon. The light-gathering power of his telescope enabled exposures as short as onequarter of a second. Rutherfurd’s photographs were unprecedented in both size and clarity, providing the viewer far more detailed information than had previously been possible with the camera.
John Krom Rees, The Rutherfurd Photographic Measures (New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1906): 5-15. Lewis M. Rutherfurd, "Astronomical Photography," American Journal of Science and Arts 39 (May 1865): 304-09 (quoted material from p. 309).
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
Lewis Emory Walker
June 3, 1867
2020.7.101
